Chateau Cheval Blanc 2014

Tasted blind. Deeply colour with bricky rim. Cedary mature red fruits. Leafy, too. Lightish body but the balance is there in a leaner style. Elegant and long if not generous. Leafy aftertaste, finely textured. Elegant and long and I marked this up half a point when I went back to it at the end of the flight.

So much damson-plum and plum-cake richness, plus a substantial amount of fine tannin behind it, give this rich wine an impressively plush texture. Very long, supple finish that makes it hard not to reach for the glass once again. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. 

With its high proportion of Cabernet Franc (45%), this is a finely perfumed rich wine. It has great tannins, a smoky character that comes from the wood. The tannins are quite marked, giving a tight firm edge to the wine that otherwise has generous fruitiness. This is a complex wine, impressive, and likely to age over many years. Drink from 2028.

Freshly fruity with razor-sharp aromas: red and white currants, currant leaves, merlot leaf tones, floral notes, accompanied by a hint of wood (cinnamon, sandalwood, burnt almonds) and cocoa beans. Good fullness on the palate, softly embedded tannins in moderate quantities, homogeneous and round in the mid-palate, with plenty of extract despite its juicy impression, without appearing heavy or strained, a Cheval Blanc rich in finesse and substance.

Leather, cigar box and undergrowth at the 10 years on mark, gently building in concentration and power, more in the Pomerol than St Emilion camp in this particular vintage. Creamy raspberry and damson puree as it opens, gorgeous balance, studded with bright acidities and pinpoint minerality. Distinctive, white pepper, curling embers, campfire smoke, liqourice root, delicate and lingering. 100% new oak.

Medium garnet colored, the 2014 Château Cheval Blanc is still looking very youthful and wearing a bit of puppy fat, sporting gregarious red and black cherries notes with hints of oolong tea, wilted roses and dusty soil. Medium-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the lively fruit, it finishes on a lingering perfumed note.

This has dreamy aromas already, with notes of Lapsang souchong tea, smoldering cigar and cold charcoal wafting up from the core of dense yet supple currant, fig and blackberry preserves. A loamy edge thumps through the finish, giving this an addictive, head-bobbing bass line. Best from 2026 through 2040. 8,335 cases made.